WootBot

Part scrappy gangs of streetfighters, part larger-than-life demigods, rock and hip-hop groups have grown into the closest approximations to legends you'll find in our skeptical age. So it's not surprising that so many movies and TV shows have populated their epic tales of success and excess with imaginary pop stars - enough to keep the Rocklopedia Fakebandica growing every day.

You won't see any of these acts on a festival stage near you (with maybe one exception), but can you name them, and the fictional movie or TV universes where they're famous?

Answers are here. Please post your guesses, speculations, or arguments below! But know this: the Trivial Eye is presented for public amusement and no prizes are offered other than that familiar feeling of aggravation that so much of your mind is occupied by useless trivia.

HomerTime

alanhwoot wrote:Anyway, what's the line for "fake"? Spinal Tap has actually toured. Are the Monkees fake because they were created for a TV show?

I guess in some respect they do blur the line. I remember I was engaging in some small talk with a friend of mine and he mentioned Spinal Tap was on some talk show he had watched the night before. Our ensuing conversation went something like this:

Me: "Oh I love Spinal Tap! Have you ever seen the movie. It's hilarious"
Friend: "Nah, I don't think I want to see it, They said last night the director did a real hatchet job on them"
Me: "The movie is a mockumentary, they aren't a real band"
Friend: "Yes they are. They played a couple of songs last night"
Me: "Well, I guess they're 'real' in the sense they know how to play music, but the band members are actors playing characters."
Friend: "Huh? You mean like Kiss? They weren't wearing makeup"
Me: "No, it is a parody of a heavy metal band. They are actual actors. The blond guy is Lenny from LaVerne and Shirley."
Friend: "No, his name is David St. something or another and he had an English accent"
Me: "Right, that is Michael McKean and David St. Hubbins is the name of his *character*"
Friend: "That don't make no sense" (sic)

davidbowser

I got the Commitments, Gem and the Holograms, Spinal Tap, and Wild Stallions.

Spinal Tap is an all time great. While in college, one of my friends wanted to get into the movie business (production side) and was taking some classes for it. One of the teachers assigned them to watch Spinal Tap as homework. After she had watched it, I saw the tape on her desk and commented on how much I loved that movie. She responded how it was a pretty stupid documentary and she didn't understand why the teacher bothered with it. I explained the mockumentary concept to her and later she told me that at least 1/3 of the class didn't get it either. The teacher explained that a "good" movie does not equal a "serious" movie, and that far too many people miss the goal of creating the movie for an audience to enjoy.

ugliestmouse

davidbowser wrote:While in college, one of my friends wanted to get into the movie business (production side) and was taking some classes for it. One of the teachers assigned them to watch Spinal Tap as homework. After she had watched it, I saw the tape on her desk and commented on how much I loved that movie. She responded how it was a pretty stupid documentary and she didn't understand why the teacher bothered with it. I explained the mockumentary concept to her and later she told me that at least 1/3 of the class didn't get it either.

I would have to wonder about the careers of people taking classes on movie making that don't recognize that great a number of well-known actors and comedians playing someone other than themselves or have the critical thinking ability to realize that it would therefor not be a documentary.

I, for one, would be leery of a movie made by someone who doesn't know who Carl Reiner is.

pomodesign

HomerTime wrote:I guess in some respect they do blur the line. I remember I was engaging in some small talk with a friend of mine and he mentioned Spinal Tap was on some talk show he had watched the night before. Our ensuing conversation went something like this:

Me: "Oh I love Spinal Tap! Have you ever seen the movie. It's hilarious"
Friend: "Nah, I don't think I want to see it, They said last night the director did a real hatchet job on them"
Me: "The movie is a mockumentary, they aren't a real band"
Friend: "Yes they are. They played a couple of songs last night"
Me: "Well, I guess they're 'real' in the sense they know how to play music, but the band members are actors playing characters."
Friend: "Huh? You mean like Kiss? They weren't wearing makeup"
Me: "No, it is a parody of a heavy metal band. They are actual actors. The blond guy is Lenny from LaVerne and Shirley."
Friend: "No, his name is David St. something or another and he had an English accent"
Me: "Right, that is Michael McKean and David St. Hubbins is the name of his *character*"
Friend: "That don't make no sense" (sic)

Sounds like your friend watched the dvd with the commentary on, which totally sounds like that. The cast stayed in character for it. Brilliant!

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